Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2020

Notes:
As per the recent order issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of M. Ajit Kumar as the next Chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
The announcement has been made just two days ahead of the Union Budget, which is to be presented on 1st February 2020. M. Ajit Kumar is a 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service Officer, who is presently a member of CBIC. Pranab Kumar Das was the previous Chairman of CBIC.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, K Palaniswami recently announced a new initiative called ‘Direct CTO (Consent to Operate)’, which aims to provide faster clearance to companies which operate under ‘Green category industries’.
The companies are classified in red, orange, green and white categories based on the pollution index generated, according to Ministry of Environment. This scheme is expected to benefit micro, small and medium enterprises under ‘Green category’ to commence their operations with faster clearance from the government.

Notes:
The National Statistical Office released revised estimates for economic growth of India for the last three years, on January 31,2020. As per the report, it fixed the actual GDP growth 2018-19 at 6.1%, against its previous estimate of 6.8%, estimated in May 2019.
The National Statistical Office also stated that the main reason for the downward revision in the GDP growth rate is deceleration in farming and mining activities in primary sector and manufacturing activities in secondary sector. It also marked the growth rate in 2017-18 as 7%. Recently, NSO estimated the growth rate in 2019-20 to be 5%.

Notes:
The 35th edition of India International Leather Fair (IILF), 2020 is being held in the capital city of Tamil Nadu, Chennai. The fair is being held from February 1 to 3, 2020 at the Chennai Trade Centre.
The fair is organized by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), which functions under aegis of Ministry of Commerce and Industry for promoting country’s external trade. A large variety of products related to leather industry are being displayed in the 3-day-long international fair. Latest trends and designs of the global fashion are also showcased in the event.

Notes:
The wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, Alliance Air recently commenced the direct flight operations from Bhubaneswar to Varanasi. The daily flight operation is started under the RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik).
This route also marks the 250th route which has been made operational under the RCS – UDAN. This is also the 58th route commenced by Alliance Air, under RCS. Recently, the airline started daily flight operations on the Kolkata-Jharsuguda route. The flight is scheduled to depart Bhubaneswar at 12.15 pm and reach Varanasi at 2.05 pm while the flight from Varanasi will leave at 2.30 pm and reach Bhubaneswar at 4.20 pm.

Notes:
The world’s largest solar telescope called The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) has captured its first image of the sun, which has turned out to be the highest-resolution image of the star, till date.
The telescope captured the newly released image of the sun using its Visible Broadband Imager (VBI), which was the only operational instrument in the telescope during the time. The VBI takes extremely high-resolution images of the solar surface and lower atmosphere. The telescope is scheduled to be made fully operational by July 2020, with the remaining instruments being turned on.

Notes:
India and Maldives signed 5 agreements for establishing ‘Addu Tourism zone’ in five islands of Addu atoll. An atoll is a ring-shaped chain of islands formed of coral.
The Tourism zone is expected to be set up at a cost of $2.49 million. It aims at generating local employment and boost the eco-tourism opportunities in Addu. The High Commissioner of India Sunjay Sudhir signed the MoUs with the Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and Addu City Council. Another MoU to establish a bottled water plant in Hoarafushi was also inked.

Notes:
Kenya’s longest-serving president, Daniel Arap Moi, who ruled the country for 24 years, passed away recently. He assumed charge as the President of the country in 1978, when the founding President Jomo Kenyatta died.
He was seen as a uniting figure by many Kenyans. During his reign, he passed a constitutional amendment that made Kenya a one-party state. Then he surrendered to the demands of a multi-party state in 1991. Corruption, economic crisis and political protests were reported in the East African country.

Notes:
The 15th East Asia Summit conference of the year 2020 is set to be organised by India, in the southern city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The conference will mainly focus on co-operation in maritime security and challenges in maritime domain.
During the 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Bangkok in November 2019, the Indian Prime Minister announced that the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) would organise the next EAS conference, in partnership with the governments of Australia and Indonesia. As announced, the EAS Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation would be held in Chennai from February 6-7, 2020. This is the fourth EAS conference organised by India.

Notes:
Bhutan imposes a Sustainable Development Fee on international tourists, except those from India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives. The current rate is USD 100 per person per night, effective from September 1, 2023 to August 31, 2027, as a 50% discount from the earlier USD 200. Indian tourists pay INR 1,200 per person per night. The fee funds conservation and infrastructure.